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On the life, writings and spirituality of St. Bonaventure, bishop and doctor St. Bonaventure, 1221-1274: known as the Seraphic Doctor, a title attributed to him because of his angelic virtues and his being a Franciscan Biographical sketch St. Bonaventure was born at Bagnorea, a little town near Viterbo, Italy, in the year 1221. He was given the same name as his father - Giovanni di Fidanza - at his baptism. His mother was Maria la Ritella. There are two stories in relation to how he got the name Bonaventure. One is when Maria, his mother, pleaded to St. Francis to cure the dangerous illness that Bonaventure was stricken with as a baby. Another is when St. Bonaventure himself tells about St. Francis curing him of a mortal illness when he was 4 years old. Whatever the story was, both share the legend that at the recovery of St. Bonaventure from his ailment, St. Francis saw a great future for the baby and exclaimed, "O buona venture" - O good fortune! O good encounter! That was how he got the name Bonaventure. St. Bonaventure entered the Franciscan order at either the age of 17 or 22 years old. His religious superiors recognized his intellect and sent him to the University of Paris for studies. It was here that his reputation for genius manifested and where he became a close friend of St. Thomas Aquinas. At that time, Bonaventure was under the tutelage of Alexander of Hales [Franciscan], while Thomas Aquinas was under the tutelage of Albert the Great [Dominican]. On 1257, both St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas received their degree of Doctor of Theology on October 23. St. Bonaventure was also called to be the minister general of the Franciscans in 1257. He governed the Order for 17 years. Then on 1273, he was named bishop of Albano. Pope Gregory also called St. Bonaventure to come to Rome to prepare an agenda and develop position papers for a council to be held in Lyons, France [the purpose of the council: to effect a reconciliation between the Eastern Church and Rome]. St. Bonaventure obeyed the Pope and was able to forge a reunion [later abrogated by Constantinople]. At a celebration Mass in Latin and Greek, St. Bonaventure was preacher. Two weeks later, he died. That was July 15, 1274. St. Bonaventure was only 53 years old. St. Bonaventure was canonized in 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV and declared a Doctor of the Church in March 14, 1587 by Pope Sixtus V. Teaching and spirituality St. Bonaventure was very literary in his style of writing. And in his writings, theology and spirituality were intimately related. This is unlike our modern concept of theology, which functions more in the level of the head, while spirituality on the other hand, is more connected with the affect - feeling. Therefore, to understand the writings of St. Bonaventure, we are called to that medieval context of Catholicism, where theology and spirituality were intertwined. And we have a head start by knowing how this was lived out by St. Bonaventure. By knowing he was a a university professor of theology and a priest who prays a lot, the integration of theology and spirituality is very much epitomized in his life and life style. Though St. Bonaventure wrote on so many subjects, we will mention only his teaching on how the affectus - that which has to do with affections, the will, love, passion, feeling, emotion, affectivity - relates to his thought on the Holy Spirit. Just for the purposes of information and brief study, we will mention in this article St. Bonaventure's teaching on the Holy Spirit as it is contextualized in his teaching on the Holy Trinity. And for St. Bonaventure, there are 4 ways of knowing the relations within the Trinity [as Father, Son and Holy Spirit]. We know them according to:
It is in the 4th way where St. Bonaventure especially makes reference to the temporal mission of the Holy Spirit who gave birth to the church at Pentecost. St. Bonaventure continues to teach that by virtue of this temporal mission, the Holy Spirit has a proper role in the constitution of the science and wisdom of theology. For St. Bonaventure:
To examine how St. Bonaventure sees theology as a form of knowledge, his writings reveal that his thought on the Trinity also reflects a trinitarian character. Theology according to St. Bonaventure, is comprised of three forms of knowledge:
Excerpts from writings St. Bonaventure wrote many tracts of teaching. To mention a few of his works:
Listed below are also excerpts from his writings. We can learn about the teaching of St. Bonaventure on love and the Holy Spirit through these excerpts. The perfect state of Christian wisdom is, therefore, a rapture of heart and mind in God by a mystical union of charity. This union, transcending all speculation and understanding, is an experience obtained solely by the grace of the Holy Spirit. (The Role of the Holy Spirit in St. Bonaventure's Theology, 283) Its [Christian life] perfection consists in the contemplation of God as God is known by faith and loved for God's own sake in charity. (The Role of the Holy Spirit in St. Bonaventure's Theology, 277, 280) Related articles: Book review: Doctors of the Church
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